ABSTRACT
Shortly after his cult of personality began to take root in the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s, Brezhnev began experiencing periods of ill health. After his first stroke in 1975, Politburo members Mikhail Suslov and Andrei Kirilenko assumed some of Brezhnev’s functions for a time. After another bout of poor health in 1978, Brezhnev delegated more of his responsibilities to Konstantin Chernenko, a long-time associate, who soon began to be considered as the heir apparent. Brezhnev’s rule was damaged not only by his ill health, but by economic problems and various scandals involving his family and close political allies.
